Vending-machine



J. H. MANN, JR- VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 9, '98- v 1,341 921 ed June 1, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

2O gluon r1201 v Jamey 727mm cf.

J. H. MANN, JR.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 9, 1918.

Patented June I, 1920.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. H. MANN, 1R. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, I9I8.

Patented June 1, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

amvamtoz lmuw a,

rhmejH ZZZau'zzJn UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. MANN, JR., OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO TRANSITVENDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS, A CORPORATION OFARKANSAS.

VEN DING-MACHIN E.

Application filed March 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES H. MANN, Jr., citizen of the United States,residing at Little Rock in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending- Machines,of which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to vending machines and more particularly to amachine of that general character shown and described in Patent No.1,217,616, issued to me February 27, 1917.

It is the primary purpose and object of the present invention to provideimproved means for mounting and arranging the coin controlled deliverymechanism within the machine case in such manner that it may be bodilyremoved therefrom when it is necessary to replace or repair any of theparts.

It is also another important object of the invention to provide amagazine case for the commodity to be vended and means for removablyretaining said magazine case within the outer case or body of themachine, said magazine case being formed with means whereby the coincontrolled mechanism and the coin guide or chute may be compactlyassembled and operatively mounted upon the back or rear Wall of saidcase.

It is also one of the secondary objects of the invention to provide amagazine case, coin chute'and the main operating parts of the mechanismwhich can be readily stamped or cut out of sheet metal plates by meansof suitable dies whereby the manufacturing cost of such machines may beappreciably reduced.

It is a further general object of my invention to improve the originalvending machine above referred to in the several particulars stated tothe end that the utility and serviceability of such machines may beenhanced and the machine as a whole rendered commercially moredesirable.

With the above and otherobjects in view, the invention consists in theimproved .combination, construction and arrangement of the several partsas will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequently claimed andillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar referencecharacters desig- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

1918. Serial No. 221.509.

nate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein Figure1 is a front elevation of a vending machine embodying the presentimprovements. a i

Fig. 2 is a similar View, the face plate of the machlne case and thecover plate for the mechanism being removed.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a horizontal section taken on the line l4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the magazine case' removed.

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is'a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 88 of Fig.6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of the magazine case.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates the rear wall and 6the opposite side walls of the bottomless outer case body of themachine. The rear wall 5 is centrally provided-at its upper and lowerends with apertures 7 for the purpose of receiving suitable attachingscrews, the metal surrounding said apertures being outwardly punched -orprojected. This rear wall of the case body is further provided at eachside of the apertures 7 with outwardly struck protuberances 8.

The particular purpose of these indentations will be hereinafter fullyexplained.

The side walls 6 of the case body are provided upon their longitudinaledges with narrow laterally projecting flanges 9, each of the side wallsadjacent to its lower end being cutaway or recessed at its forward edgeto provide the relatively narrow downwardly projecting portions, each ofwhich taken on likewise terminates in an outwardly prorecessed or cutaway at the correspondingly curved "portions of said side walls. Thisplate has spaced longitudinally extending slots 11 cut therein throughwhich the contents of the magazine may be viewed and is also providedbelow the slots 11 with a rela- I nally extending side walls 14. Thismagazine case is of slightly less width than the outer body case of themachine and is adapted tobe fitted within the latter. The rear wall 13at its upper end is centrally provided with the screw receiving opening.15, theedge of which is outwardly projected to seat upon the edge ofthe opening 7 in the rear wall5 of thecase body. The wall 13 of themagazine case is further provided at its upper and lower ends'with theoutwardly punched protuberances 16. These protuberances contact with therear wall of the outer case, and space the walls of the magazine casetherefrom so that the walls will not adhereby the formation of rust andrender it difiicult to remove the magazine case. The protuberances 8 onthe outer case wall space the major portion'of said wall from the partupon which the machine is mounted to obviate undue marring of thefinished surface.

The lower ends of the side walls 14 of the magazine case are reduced inwidth asindicated at 17 and the upper end of a plate 18 is fittedbetween the side walls 14 immedi ately above the reduced portion 17thereof and is engaged at its opposite edges upon said reduced portion.This plate to all appearances constitutes a continuation of theremovable front plate 10 of the case body. The plate 18 at its upper endis provided with portions at the vertical edges thereof for engagementin slots or recesses in the.

side walls 14 of the magazine case as indicated at 18, and the verticaledges of said plate at its lower end are recessed to receive forwardlyprojecting lugs 19 on the relatively narrow lower end portions 17 of thecase walls. In this manner the plate 18 is securely locked in position.'At the lower end of the plate 18 a forwardly projecting articlereceiving tray or pan 20 is formed. The upstanding flange 21 at theforward edge of this pan. has its ends turned inwardly to providechannels or grooves for the reception of the flanges 9 on the lower endsof the side walls 6 of the case body.

The magazine case above described as well as the outer body or case ofthe machine is stamped from a sheet metal plate, and the coin controlledmechanism, as well. as the article delivery mechanism is wholly carriedby and mounted within the magazine case and is bodily removabletherewith from the outer case of the machine. As in the originalpatented construction abovereferred to I provide an article deliveryplate or shelf 22 having angular cars 23 at its opposite ends looselymounted for rocking movement upon a rod 24, the ends of which are en-igaged in openings in the side walls 14 of the magazine case. Thisdelivery plate is normally held in a horizontal position by means of thespring 24" engaged upon the rod 24. One of the ears 23 is formed withteeth as shown at 25 which engage with the teeth 27 formed in a metalbar 26 which is slidably mounted upon the rear wall 13 of the magazinecase between the guide tongues or' flanges 27 struck from the rearwall13 and one of the side walls 14 of the case. This rack bar has itslower end portion formed into a suitable handle 28, which extendsdownwardly below the lower end of the case body. In one edge of the bar26 adjacent to the lower end thereof the shoulder 29 is formed, andbelow said shoulder the edge of the bar is obliquely inclined as at 30.31 designates the locking bar or lever which is fulcrumed upon the wall13 of the case as indicated at 32 and is movable under a guide tongue 33struck from said wall. A spring 34 normally holds said lever inoperative engagement with the edge of the rack bar. This spring islikewise connected to a second lever 35 fulcrumed upon the wall 13 ofthe case as at 36. In addition a relatively heavy coil spring 37 isconnected at one of its ends to the lever 35 and at its other end to alug 38 struck from the case wall 13. end of the lever 35 is engagedbetween an off-set portion 39 in the upper end of the rack bar 26 andthe rear wall of the case. The rack bar at its upper end is toothed asat 40 for engagement with the spring held detent 41 mounted on the casewall whereby the. rack bar is held in intermediate position and itsreturn to normal position prevented before the completion of itsoperating movement. The rack bar 26 is further provided with a lug 42struck therefrom which is adapted to engage an upstanding lug 43 on therear edge of the plate 22, said lug actmg as a stop to limit thedownward movement of the rack bar.

Thecoin chute 44 is stamped or pressed from a sheet metal plate, saidchute having a relatively wide upper portion extending substantially theentire width of the magazine case, said wider portion of the sheet metalplate having downwardly and inwardly inclined flanges 45 leading fromthe coin .slots 46 which are formed in the opposite side walls 14 of thecase and directing the coins into the relatively narrow vertical portionof the coin chute. The slots 46 of course coincide with similar coinslots in the side walls 6. at the opposite ends of the ma- One 7 chinecase. The narrow portion of the coin chute is likewise provided on itslongitudinal edges with narrow angular flanges 47. These flanges as wellas the flanges 45 are formed with lugs or projections to extend throughopenings 48 formed at the requisite points in the rear wall 13 of thecase. With a suitable tool, these lugs at their opposite ends arelaterally swaged or bent and locked to the case wall. In this manner,the coin chute is held absolutely rigid against any possibility ofmovement upon the wall of the magazine case. The flange 47 on one edgeof the chute is provided with recesses or openings therein at the properpoints for the accommodation of the pivoted levers 31 and 35respectively.

The coin controlled article delivery mechanism as above described,operates in a manner quite similar to the mechanism disclosed in myprior patent. Thus when a coin of the proper denomination is deposited,it moves downwardly by gravity between the rear wall 13 of the magazinecase and the front wall of the coin chute and finally lodges between theedge of the lever 31 extending within the chute and the opposite sideflange 47 on the wall of the coin chute. The lever is thereby heldagainst movement and when the rack bar 26 is forced upwardly, theshoulder 29 on the edge of said bar will not contact with the lower endof the lever 31. Thus the teeth of the rack bar coacting with the teeth25 will rock or oscillate the plate 22 whereby the lowermost package ofgum or other commodity in the magazine is delivered and falls downwardlyby gravity into the tray 20 on the lower end of the plate 17. In thisoperating movement of the rack bar, the end of the lever 35 is projectedacross the coin chute so that an other coin if deposited cannot dropdownwardly in the chute and prevent the return movement of the lever 31and the rack bar 25 to their normal positions.

All of the operating parts above referred to as well as the coin chute,of course excepting the springs, are stamped from sheet metal. It willbe noted that they are very compactly arranged upon the rear wall of themagazine case so that there will be ample room for the gum or othercommodity, and yet the magazine case is of minimum depth.

The operating mechanism is covered by means of a sheet metal plate 49flanged at its opposite longitudinal edges as shown at 50. These flangesadjacent their upper and lower ends are notched or recessed as indicated at 51. Lugs 52 are struck inwardly .from the side walls 14 of themagazine case at their upper ends, said lugs being disposed I in a planein spaced parallel relation to the wall of the coin chute. Additionalspaced lugs 53 are also struck inwardly from each side wall 14 in spacedrelation to its lower end, the latter lugs being disposed out ofalinement with each other longitudinally of the wall. Between the lugs52 and 53, 1011- gitudinally extending flanges 54 are struck inwardlyfrom the side wall 14 of the case. In inserting the plate 49, thenotches 51 in the off-set flanges 50 are disposed in registeringrelation with the lugs 52 and the uppermost lugs 53 on the side walls ofthe case, said flanges resting upon the flanges 54.

The plate 49 is then forced downwardly so that the upper ends of theflanges 50 above the notches 51 will be engaged under the lugs 52 andalso under the upper lugs 53 on the side walls of the case. The flanges50 at the lower end of the plate 49 ride over and have frictionalengagementupon the lower inwardly projecting lugs 53. This downwardmovement of the plate 49 is limited by the stop shoulders 55 formed uponthe flanges 50 at their upper ends and which are adapted to coact withthe lugs 52. The plate 49 at its lower end bears the word Empty and whenthe last article or package has been delivered from the machine, thisword will be clearly visible through the slot or opening 12 in the faceplate of the machine case. The plate 49 entirely covers the coin chuteand operating mechanism above the delivery plate 22 so that thepackagesof gum or other commodity within the magazine cannot by anypossibility contact with the parts of the mechanism and derange the sameor prevent their proper operation.

Between the reduced lower ends of the side walls of the magazine caseand rearwardly of the plate 18, the coin cup indicated at 56 is adaptedto be inserted. Exteriorly of the magazine case and upon one sidewall 14thereof, a locking lever 57 is arranged whereby the coin cup is lockedagainst removal. The particular mounting and construction of thislocking lever and of the; coin cup is fully shown and described in myprior patent, No. 1,278,186, issued September 10, 1918, and per seconstitutes no part of the present invention. It will not, therefore, beherein fully described in detail. It will suffice to state that the coincuplocking lever is mounted upon the magazine case wall so that thisleveralso is removable with the operating mechanism from the exterior ofthe body or case of the machine.

To the upper end of the rear wall 5 of the outer case body a lid orcover 58 is hinged and, as fully disclosed in my pending applicationcarries a suitable lock 59 the bolt of which coacts with the coin cuplocking lever' whereby said lid or cover is locked in its closedposition.

After the magazine case has been arranged within the outer case body ofthe machine and the magazine charged with the,

commodity, a plate of glass or other transparent material shown at 60 isengaged at its longitudinal edges upon the edges of the side walls 14 ofthe magazine case and rests at its lower end upon the shoulders 61formed on said walls. 'It is of course understood that the rear wall ofthe case body has been secured to a wall, standard, or

- other support at its lower end by means of a fastening screw, and whenthe magazine case is arranged within the outer case, the opening15 atthe upper end of its rear wall registers with the opening 7 at the upperend of the case wall 6 and a second screw is inserted to securely fastenthe outer case at its upper end to the-wall and to effectually preventthe removal of the magazine case. The lower fastening screw is entirelycovered and hidden by the lower end of the magazine case, and of courseit is quite impossible for one to obtain access to either of thefastening screws whereby the machine may be bodily removed from itsapplied position. After the glass plate 60 has been arranged in place,the cover plate 10 is finally forced downwardly upon the flanges 9.. Thelid or cover is then closed, and the flange 62 on the free edge thereofengaging over the upper end of the cover plate 10 prevents the upwardsliding movement of the latter plate.

If desired, the lid or cover 58 may be provided upon its under side witha coin directing member 63 one end of which is disposed contiguous to acoin slot 64 in the flange 62 on the cover. The upper end of the plate49 and of the wall of the coin chute are recessed or cut away so thatthe coin when inserted through the slot 6% may gravitate rearwardly anddownwardly into the space between the wall of the chute and the rearwall 13 of the magazine case.

coin directing member 63 may, if preferred, be dispensed with and coinslots provided onlyin the opposite sides of the case at its upper end.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it is believed that the construction, manner of assemblage andoperation of the several parts and the numerous advantages incidentthereto will be fully and clearly understood. The machine as hereindescribed is primarily designed for use in railroad coaches, where it ismounted between adjacent windows: upon the backs of theaterchairs, andin like instances where the available space for mounting the machine iscomparatively limited. It is also an important factor in the adaptationof vending machines to such uses, that it shall be possible to rechargethe machine and remove the coins in a very expeditious manner, so thatall of the machines in a rail- However, this front entrance slot for thecoin and the r way coach or in a theater may be attended to with theexpenditure of a minimum of time. It is also a requisite to thepractical commercial success of such machines that they shall be soconstructed. that they are not liable to be damaged or put out of orderby curious individuals attempting to operate the machine in order todiscover the secret of its operation.

Finally,'it is of primary importance that the machine shall be soconstructed that access may be readily had to the various parts of theoperating mechanism'for the purpose of renewing or repairing the same,without necessitating the removal of a large number of screws or otherfastening elements, or the bodily dismounting of the machine from itssupport. r r

The several desirable features above referred to are all attained bymeans of the present invention. The operating 'mechanism whereby thearticles are vended, is very compactly arranged, all of the elementsbeing disposed substantially in the same plane so that as a whole thismechanism occupies but littlespace at the rear of the magazine. lVhen itis necessary to obtain access to the mechanism, the very simpleoperation of opening the case cover or lid and removing the cover plate10 and the upper fastening screw and then pulling downwardly andforwardly upon the article receiving tray, will resultin the bodilyremoval of the magazine and all of the operating mechanism from theouter case or body of the machine. The plate 49 can then be readilyremoved and the mechanism eX- posed. The magazine and operatingmechanism can be as readily positioned within the outer case and againsecured by means of the single fastening screw, after'which the coverplate 10 is replaced. The magazine case being stamped from a singlemetal sheet can be very inexpensively manufac tured, and the manner offastening the coin chute and operating elements upon the rear wall ofthis case, avoids the necessity of employing numerous fastening screwswhich are liable to become loosened and permit the relative movement ofthe parts. As the operating parts and the case body are likewise stampedfrom sheet metal it will be appreciated that the machine in its entiretycan be produced at relatively small cost while at the same time, in viewof the simple and compact construction, great durability is obtained andeven though the machine be subjected to great jar or vibration, theparts of the operating mechanism will not be liable to relativedisplacement. The machine is also very light in weight, and a largenumber of machines may be carried by a single workman and erected ormounted in place in railway cars or coaches.

WVhile I have herein shown and described the preferred form ofconstruction and relative arrangement of the various parts, it is to beunderstood that the machine is susceptible of considerable modificationtherein and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all suchlegitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scopeof the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 2- 1. In a vendingmachine, a magazine case stamped from a single metal sheet and having arear wall and parallel side walls, article delivery mechanism mountedupon said rear wall, said wall having guide tongues struck therefrom toretain various parts of the delivery mechanism in close contact withsaid wall and in their proper relative operative positions, each of theside walls of the case being provided with inwardly struck guide tonguesand flanges, and a cover plate for said mechanism longitudinally movabledownwardly between the side walls of the case and coacting at its edgeswith said tongues and flanges whereby the cover plate is frictionallyheld in its applied position.

2. In a vending machine, a magazine case stamped from a single metalsheet and having a rear wall and parallel side walls, article deliverymechanism operatively mounted upon said rear wall, each of the sidewalls having flanges struck inwardly therefrom, and a removable coverplate separating the delivery mechanism from the article receivingchamber and having longitudinal flanges recessed to receive the flangeson said side walls, said plate being adapted for longitudinal movementto move the recesses out of registering relation with said flanges andcause the flanges to frictionally coaet with the edges of the coverplate and therebyretain the latter in place.

3. In a vending machine, a magazine case stamped from a single metalsheet and having a rear wall and spaced parallel side walls, coincontrolled article delivery mechanism mounted upon the rear wall of saidcase, a coin directing chute extending vertically of said rear wall,said wall being provided with spaced openings'therein and the coin chutehaving lugs locked in said openings to retain the coin chute in itsapplied position upon the case wall, a removable plate extending overthe delivery, mechanism and the coin chute and separating the same fromthe article receiving chamber of the case and means on the opposite sidewalls of the case to coact with the edges of said plate and frictionallyretain the same in its applied position. 7 V

4. In a vending machine including an article delivery mechanism, thecombination with an inner magazine case provided with means fordetachably carrying said mechanism, the magazine casing having means onits rear wall to retain various parts of said mechanism in close contactwith said rear wall, of a cover plate fitting within said magazine case,means carried by the sides of said magazine case overlying thelongitudisupporting said plate for housing and protecting said mechanismand its associated elements, an outer casing conforming to and adaptedto removably receive said magazine case with its back and sides inspaced relation thereto, whereby the mechanism and its associatedelements and the magazine case may be removed as one body, andinterengaging means carried by the adjacent backs of both casings forspacedly and rigidly connecting said casings in detachable relations.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JAMES H. MANN, J n.

Witnesses P. M. WILLIAMS, M. L. CARTER.

nal edges of said cover plate for detachably

